WMU basketball vs. Duquesne: Inside today's matchup

Keith Srakocic / Associated PressDuquesne's Mike Talley, shown here this season against Pittsburgh, averages 6.9 points per game off the bench for the Dukes. Talley starred in high school at Melvindale AB&T in Southeast Michigan and led his team to a Class C state title win over Schoolcraft in 2009, a state title that was later stripped.

Inside the matchupDuquesne led the nation in assists, steals and turnover margin last year and is again in the top three in turnover margin. This is bad news for Western Michigan, which is tied for the most turnovers in the Mid-American Conference (with winless Northern Illinois) with 152 and ranks No. 301 in the country in turnovers per game at 16.9. In other words, the Dukes value the basketball. The Broncos, to this point, haven’t.

Duquesne, which has wins over Akron and Penn State and competitive losses to Arizona and No. 15 Pittsburgh, essentially features five guards much of the game. The Dukes play a high-pressure defensive style and have a bevy of guards who can create and finish their own shot. All but 45 of their 200 minutes per game go to players 6-foot-5 or under and nobody over 6-8 on their roster sees significant time. For that reason, they’re vulnerable on the glass and are being out-rebounded by about nine per game this season.

Minus Flenard Whitfield (sprained ankle), the Broncos won’t have the edge on the boards they might otherwise. However, in some regards, WMU matches up better with the Dukes with Demetrius Ward at power forward again, giving the Broncos another competent ball-handler on the court. Point guard Mike Douglas needs a big afternoon and center Matt Stainbrook must find a way to make a positive impact in a game that won’t suit his style.

PredictionIf the Broncos make shots a decent clip and turn the ball over no more than a dozen times, they’ve got a chance at a really good non-conference win. The problem for WMU is that Duquesne is Southern Illinois with offensive talent. The Broncos are yet to put together 40 minutes at the level they’ll need to be at today to win.